I Love You. Thank You.

Hand Tavin his milk: “Thank you.”

Give Tavin a snack: “Thank you.”

Open the door for Tavin: “Thank you.”

Let Tavin play with the iPod: “Thank you.”

Tell Tavin, “I love you.”: “Thank you!”

Tavin understands the value of “thank you.” He inserts it in the proper places and very rarely needs to be prompted. But to say “Thank you,” after you tell him you love him? Seems like those time honored moments when you told that hunky boyfriend you loved him and his only response was, “Thank you.” Your heart sinks and you feel…dejected.

Not with Tavin. When he responds with a “thank you” after you tell him that you love him, he genuinely means it. There’s something so sweet and sincere about. He’s truly grateful that we love him. He  doesn’t only understand the idea of thank you, he also understands the value of being loved. He’s honestly thankful for that.

There are a million people out in the world who feel unloved. I know, I was one of them for most of my life. I needed to be validated by those words, regardless if they were honest, because I didn’t realize the value of love. They seemed like empty words to me because no one seemed to say it without an ulterior motive. Jared knew this about me, and instead of always just telling me he loved me, he showed it, much like how we now show our love to Tavin.

Tavin is so loved that he’s truly grateful for it. Although it’s an everyday occurrence much like his snack or glass of milk, it’s still a gift to him. He still sees it as something that is being “given” to him and he cherishes it.

I’m not offended when Tavin says thank you after I tell him I love him, because although that’s the response I instantly receive, it’s also followed with, “I wuv you too mommy.”

If only we could all be so grateful for the love we receive.